


Home for Christmas (Home Forever)

by xhookswenchx (ReluctantPrincess)



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christmas, F/M, Frenemies, Love, Sentimental, frenemies to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-27
Updated: 2015-12-27
Packaged: 2018-05-09 16:41:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5547680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReluctantPrincess/pseuds/xhookswenchx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Killian Jones returns to Storybrooke, as he does every year, much to the dismay of Emma Swan, who would like to make it through one holiday without his chaos. AU</p>
<p>This is my CS Secret Santa  gift to killiansdevotedheart over on tumblr!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home for Christmas (Home Forever)

“Fancy meeting you here, love.”   
  
Emma groaned, not even hiding her absolute disgust. Didn’t this guy have anything better to do with his time? “Jones,” she barely acknowledged him.   
  
“Is that any way to greet an old friend?” He teased. She rolled her eyes as he began helping her. (Honestly, if she didn’t need the help, she would have kicked him out the second he walked through the door.)  
  
Every year. He did this _every_ year. He’d return to Storybrooke, find out her shift at the soup kitchen, and set his volunteer hours to match hers. She was one hundred percent sure he did it just to annoy the hell out of her. “Frenemies at best,” she snapped. The guy had been such a pain in school, that she was relieved when he announced he was joining the Navy after they graduated high school five years ago.

  
“You wound me,” he clutched his chest as if her remarks had actually hurt him. “I thought what we had was special.” She gave him another eye roll, and proceeded to ignore him. (Well, she attempted anyway. It was hard to ignore someone when you were working so close together for hours on end.) He was surprisingly pleasant after that first encounter though, and his usual hi-jinks never made another appearance.   
  
Emma was never one to really get into the Christmas spirit. There was no family to speak of, and even though she had a good group of friends, she never felt as if the holiday was truly meant for orphans. Still, she had found success in life, and because of that, she did her best to give back. So, that was how she found herself volunteering at the soup kitchen every holiday season. (And quite often during the rest of the year as well.) She had also gotten assistance from a couple of the other deputies this year, and started up a local charity for families in need.   
  
With a smug grin, she gave herself a mental high five. There was no _way_ Killian had found out about that one.

* * *

The next morning, she found herself wrapping the last of the gifts as she waited for her friend, David Nolan, to show up with his truck. They had a handful of families on their list, and it just made more sense to load everything in one truck, than to use up their squad cars.   
  
She was just going over her route when she heard David’s truck pull up.  “I just have a few things here,” she said when the door opened, “The rest of the stuff is-” She stopped short when she noticed David was _not_ alone. “What the hell are you doing here?”  
  
“Emma,” David warned, “it’s Christmas, and Killian’s helping out.”  
  
“Yeah, and now I get to be sandwiched between you two for the whole trip.” She grabbed the bags she’d just filled, and brushed past them. The somewhat cheerful mood she’d been in all morning had flown out the window. The last thing she wanted was to be confined in such a small space with the obnoxious Brit.   
  
No one said a word as Emma opened the shed. The three of them set to work, loading the truck with toys and gifts for each family.   
  
Once they were all squished in David’s truck, Emma noticed Killian didn’t come at her with his usual bravado. He was quiet, and even apologized over his awkward fumble for his seat belt. Like the day before, he was on his best behavior.   
  
Their day was uneventful to say the least. Not that it was bad. No, the joy that met them with each delivery was amazing.   
  
But Killian was acting strange.   
  
Sure, he was nice, giving smiles and hugs, but something was off. He wasn’t pestering her at all. In fact, whenever they did interact, he was quiet, polite, and definitely not the Killian she knew and loved.  (Wait. Did that thought _really_ just pop in her head?)  
  
It wasn’t until after they’d left their last stop, and Killian had been dropped off at Granny’s, that David laid into her. “You could be a bit nicer, you know,” he scolded, “it’s been a rough year for him.”  
  
“And I’m supposed to know that?” She shot back. It wasn’t like she kept in touch with him or anything. “Besides, he didn’t seem so devastated to me.”  
  
“That’s Killian, and you know it,” her friend stated, “he doesn’t let on when he’s hurting.”  
  
But it did explain his sudden change in attitude. She had been pretty harsh that morning. A wave of guilt rolled over her. It really wasn’t like Killian to shy away after a few rounds of their usual banter. “Stop the car,” she blurted out.   
  
“Emma?” She heard David call after her as she hopped out, and took off running down the street towards the bed and breakfast. It didn’t matter if they were friends or frenemies. She’d obviously hurt him, and she had to apologize.   
  
A couple hot chocolates, and a quick conversation with Ruby later, she had his room number. She grabbed the two drinks and headed away. (Not without a lewd remark from Ruby.)  
  
She almost backed out, though she wasn’t sure what she had to be nervous about. It was just Killian, the goofy kid she’d known since middle school. The one who pulled her hair, and made infuriating jokes, and followed her everywhere she went, and…  
  
Holy crap. He _liked_ her. How could she miss that?   
  
Looking back, she realized, she probably liked him too. Despite the fact that she rolled her eyes at his jokes, kicked him when he pulled her hair, and changed her volunteer hours to throw him off.   
  
But she never stopped looking for him, no matter how much she claimed to hate him.  
  
Just as she got ready to knock, (okay, kick. Her hands were full…) the door swung open, and a little boy almost collided with her. “Hi!” He said, before looking back into the room, “Uncle Killy! There’s a lady at the door!”  
  
Killian appeared in the doorway, and looked fairly shocked to see her. “Emma?”  
  
“I um…” she frowned. The last thing she was expecting was for him to be toting around a kid. “I brought hot chocolate,” she said dumbly, holding out both cups.   
  
“We were just about to head out,” he said, taking one of the cups. She handed the little boy the other one, giving him a small smile. “Perhaps you’d like to join us?”  
  
“Uncle Killy’s taking me to the park,” he announced. 

* * *

“I’m sorry,” she said, once they were at the park, and his nephew was off playing. “I was horrible to you this morning, when really, I should have been thanking you for the help.”  
  
“Dave told you,” he sighed.  
  
“He told me I was being horrible,” she said. It wasn’t a lie. “And I realized he was right. I mean, I know we have our own weird dynamic going on, but you didn’t do anything to deserve me coming at you like that this morning. Or even yesterday.”  
  
“We both know that I deserve just about everything you throw my way,” he chuckled. Well, she couldn’t disagree on that one. But, still, he did nothing to warrant her attack earlier that day. For a few moments, they sat in almost silence. “He’s six,” Killian said, almost out of the blue. “You remember my brother, right?”  
  
“Kind of,” she said. Liam was quite a bit older than them, and was already off in the Navy by the time she and Killian went into high school.   
  
“I’m sure you’ve already guessed, that little lad there is Liam 2.0, the younger, faster, and more amusing version of my brother. And yes, my brother is so unoriginal, he just named the kid Liam.” he grinned. “He’s in my custody for the time being.”   
  
“What about…” where did she start? Obviously something had happened to his brother, and what about Killian’s own Navy career?  
  
“I finished up my enlistment,” he said, as if he could read her mind, “and for a time, I lived with my brother, his wife, and the little spitfire over there.” When he hesitated, she insisted he didn’t need to continue. “Just about six months ago, his wife passed, and now, he’s on a deployment for the next few months. He’s been gone since September. So, naturally, I took my nephew.”  
  
“And you brought him here?”  
  
“With my brother gone, we don’t have any family on the base,” he said softly, “I wanted him to have some sort of normalcy this season. I also didn’t want to leave you hanging, so Granny helped me out the past couple days with babysitting.”  
  
She couldn’t help it, she laughed at that. “Sounds like you needed some normalcy too.”  
  
“That I did,” he agreed, “which is why I kept up our yearly tradition. I suppose I just didn’t realize how much you hated it.”  
  
“I don’t hate it,” she shrugged, “and I really do appreciate the help.”

* * *

Everything shifted after Emma admitted to actually enjoying Killian’s company. She found herself spending more and more time with him outside of their volunteer work. He was still ridiculous, and slightly infuriating, but now that she saw it all for what it was, it felt different.   
  
“You and Liam should spend Christmas with me,” she blurted out on Christmas Eve. They were at Granny’s annual Christmas party, and Liam was running around with a couple of the other kids. “I mean…he mentioned the inn didn’t have a chimney…he’s afraid Santa isn’t going to find him.” She fiddled nervously with her napkin, wondering what in the hell she was thinking. Less than a week ago, she couldn’t wait for this guy to just blow through town, and now, she was hoping he’d stay with her for Christmas? “I got him a few things,” she continued, realizing she was babbling, “and we can bake cookies, and leave them out for Santa, and…”  
  
“We’d like that,” he said, covering her hands so she’d stop the napkin homicide. “Thank you.”  
  
She helped him load up the presents he’d somehow hidden around the room. Liam seemed excited as he and Killian packed overnight bags.   
  
“Behave,” Killian warned once they stepped into Emma’s house. Liam still bounded excitedly over to the tree in the corner.   
  
“David and Mary Margaret put it up,” she shrugged as Liam chattered on about how big the tree was.  
  
“There aren’t many presents here,” the little boy commented, “and you don’t even have a stocking, and now there’s three of us!”  
  
“Liam-”  
  
“It’s okay,” she laughed, “He’s right.” She joined Liam over at the tree and crouched down to eye level with him. “I’m not much of a Christmas person,” she confessed, “But I do have a box of decorations that a couple friends left. Maybe you can help me with those?” When the boy nodded enthusiastically, she stood and went over to the box by her fireplace.   
  
Before long, the three of them had the house looking fairly festive. The box was emptied, and cookies were cooling in the kitchen. “Hey,” she gave Liam a little nudge, “let’s get those cookies out before you nod off.”   
  
“Kay,” Liam mumbled, already half asleep. She helped him put the cookies out, and assured him that Santa knew exactly where they were.   
  
“Thank you, Swan,” Killian said after Liam had been tucked into bed. “I wasn’t sure I’d ever see him smile like that again.”  
  
“He’s been through a lot,” she said. She looked over at the fireplace, which had three stockings that Emma had found in the box her friends had left. (There were still three more left. What kind of party were they expecting her to have?) “I didn’t buy any stocking stuffers,” she realized.   
  
“I can run out-”  
  
“No,” she shook her head, “if he wakes up, and you’re gone, he’ll probably freak out. I mean, he’s in a strange place, and he doesn’t really know me. Let me just run out, and I’ll be back shortly. Maybe you could get started on wrapping presents?” When he agreed, they both went out to the car and brought in the presents he’d bought. 

* * *

Emma stuffed Killian’s stocking when he was in checking on Liam, then, hid his present under the tree. After she was sure he wouldn’t find it until tomorrow, she made her way down the hall. “There are more blankets in the linen closet if you need them,” she said as she poked her head into the guest room. Killian thanked her, and she continued down the hall to her room.   
  
The look on his face when they gathered back into the living room the next morning was priceless, but it was probably nowhere near the expression on her own when she saw _her_ stocking. “I didn’t forget stocking stuffers,” he whispered, “even though I wasn’t exactly sure I’d have the chance to use them.”  
  
She didn’t have a chance to ask what he meant, because Liam was already waiting (as patiently as a six year old on Christmas morning could…) to open presents. There were a few for her from David and Mary Margaret, likely because she’d refused yet again to join their big family shindig. (No thanks.)   
  
Killian seemed surprised when he found a present with his name on it under the tree. Emma gave him a shy smile, and shrugged, “It’s not much, but you needed something too.”   
  
He smiled and pulled a box out from under the couch. “I got you something too.”  
  
She waited for him to open his first, slightly nervous about his reaction. She’d actually put a lot of thought into it, pulling from her knowledge of them as kids, and what she’d come to know of him now. (The fact that he kept humming that damn Star Wars tune was as big a hint as she was going to get.)  
  
“Swan…” He looked at his present, then up at her, “how did you know?”  
  
“That you wanted a Lego replica of the Millennium Falcon?” She asked as he began opening the box. “Lucky guess.”  
  
“Open yours,” he insisted, once he’d fished out the instructions.   
  
Emma opened the small box, only to find eight smaller packages. Each one was marked with a year. “You have to go in order,” he said.  
  
Emma started with the first one, which, from the look of the date, was their freshman year. It was a little ornament in the shape of a very cozy looking house. She looked up at him, and he ducked his head down. “You always said you wanted a home…” He mumbled.  
  
“You were paying attention?”  
  
“Aye.”  
  
The second was an ornament that looked like a band-aid. (From when Neal broke your heart.) The third, a flying monkey. (Because don’t lie, Swan. Walsh was _definitely_ a flying monkey.)  
  
When she got to their senior year, she found a cd. (It has all the songs that made me think of you.)   
  
By this time, she was in tears. Not only had he gotten her something completely thoughtful every year, he’d held onto it. “I don’t understand…” She said, “you always opted out of the gift exchange…”  
  
“But I always wound up getting you something anyway,” he said, “but I was too afraid to give them to you.”  
  
“So you held onto them?”  
  
“I was hoping one day, I’d find the courage to hand them over. There’s more, too.”  
  
She opened the remaining presents, finding four more ornaments. A phone, (for all the times I wanted to call.) a pirate ship, (much cooler than the aircraft carrier I worked on.) a little yellow bug, (Dave said you were upset when yours got totaled.) and an anchor.  
  
“You’re the reason I always come back for the holidays,” he confessed.   
  
“Killian…”  
  
“Stockings!” Liam proclaimed, bringing their attention away from one another. Killian gave a sheepish little grin before getting up to retrieve the stockings from over the fireplace. “Candy!” Liam said excitedly, “can I have some now? Please?”  
  
“Well,” Killian sighed, “it is Christmas. Why not? Just not too much.”  
  
“I just filled yours with candy too,” she informed Killian quietly, so Liam didn’t hear.  
  
“There’s a little more than sweets in yours,” he said, though he didn’t need to. Emma was already pulling out the neatly tied bundle of envelopes from her stocking. “I have a box with the rest…that was all I could get in the stocking. I wrote to you. A lot. You don’t have to read them…and I wouldn’t expect Shakespeare…but they’re yours, and I thought you should have them.”   
  
“You wrote to me?”   
  
“Aye,” he nodded, “but I was too bloody chicken to send you anything. I just missed you, I suppose. I wrote when I had a minute or two. Mostly when I was feeling homesick.”

He didn’t have to say it, the sentiment was written all over his face. When he thought of home, he thought of her.

“Listen, love,” he sighed,”I know we’ve never been the best of friends, and that I gave you a hard time growing up, but I always admired you. I guess I just wanted you to notice me…”

“I _did_ notice you,” she grinned, “you were David’s best friend. It was hard to miss you.”

“He always made talking to you look so easy,” Killian laughed.

“After that time I pummeled you, I was surprised you came back for more.”

“I let you win.”

“Liar.”

He shrugged, “we’ll never really know, now will we?” She rolled her eyes and swatted at him. “So…can we start over?” He asked, “maybe…can we be actual friends?”

There was so much more to what he was asking, but she could tell he was testing the water. “Yeah,” she nodded. “So long as you promise to actually send any letters you write from here on out.”

“Won’t need to,” he said, “I’m staying in Storybrooke. Liam won’t be deployed forever and is due to get out this summer. He wants to come home.”

“What about mini-Liam?”

“He’ll stay with me til his dad returns. As soon as the winter break is over, I’m enrolling him in school. I also…” He looked down at his hands and fidgeted a bit, “ummm…I got hired at the department. Dave knew, but I made him promise not to tell.”

“So, I guess I’ll be seeing you quite a bit in the near future.” The grin on his face when he looked back up at her was a mile wide.

“Hey look!” Liam announced, “I found some mistletoe!”

“I am going to kick your butt,” Killian informed the giggling boy, who was perched on the side of the couch, dangling the offending plant over his uncle’s head.

“You guys were talking too much,” Liam insisted.

It started as a quick kiss on the cheek, (it was cute how he was blushing. Even his ears were turning pink.) but the second Liam was satisfied that he’d fulfilled his matchmaking duties, and turned his attention back to his toys, Emma went back for more.

Killian seemed shocked at first, but soon, his arms were around her, and he was pulling her closer.

Despite the slight fight for dominance, (Emma Swan did not relinquish control. _Ever._ ) it was soft, sweet, and throwing a huge monkey wrench in the “can we be friends,” thing.

“I didn’t say you had to be disgusting,” Liam interrupted.

Emma giggled as they separated. “So…now what?” Friends _definitely_ didn’t kiss each other like that.

“How about one day at a time?” He asked.

“How about breakfast?” Liam asked.

“Liam!”

“I think breakfast is a great place to start,” Emma smiled.

 


End file.
